Sharp could return tomorrow in Minnesota

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Sharp could return tomorrow in Minnesota

By Chris Kuc Tribune reporter2:24 p.m. CDT, April 8, 2013

When the Chicago Blackhawks headed for Minnesota on Monday, winger Patrick Sharp was scheduled to join them.

Sharp was to travel with the Hawks for their game against the Wild on Tuesday night, meaning the veteran will likely be in the lineup for the first time since suffering a left shoulder injury March 6 against the Colorado Avalanche. Sharp has missed 14 consecutive games since he was checked along the boards by Ryan O’Byrne, now a member of the Toronto Maple Leafs.

Sharp has five goals and 13 assists in 24 games this season and should provide a spark for the Hawks’ sagging power play, which has dropped to 21st in the league with a 16.9 percent success rate.

The news was not so good for Dave Bolland as the center is not going to Minnesota with a lower-body injury. It will be the second game in a row Bolland has sat out. He took a slap shot to his foot off the stick of the Predators’ Shea Weber on April 1. Coach Joel Quenneville described the injury as “not serious” but did not give a timetable on Bolland’s return.